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On this Tax Day, the IRS is promoting the customer service improvements the agency rolled out since receiving tens of billions in new funding dollars through Democrats\u2019 Inflation Reduction Act.<\/p>\n
From cutting\u00a0phone wait times<\/a>\u00a0to\u00a0digitizing more documents<\/a>\u00a0and improving the \u201cWhere\u2019s My Refund\u201d tool to show more account details in plain language, agency leadership is trying to bring attention to what\u2019s been done to repair the agency\u2019s image as an outdated and maligned tax collector.<\/p>\n The promotion also in part is meant to quickly normalize a more efficient and effective IRS before congressional Republicans threaten another round of cuts to the agency. So time is of the essence for both taxpayers and the agency this season.<\/p>\n \u201cThis filing season<\/a>, the IRS has built off past successes and reached new milestones,\u201d Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on a Friday call with reporters. \u201cIt\u2019s showing that when it has the resources it needs, it will provide taxpayers the service they deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDelivering tax season is a massive undertaking,\u201d said IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel. \u201cWe greatly appreciate people in many different areas working long hours to serve taxpayers as the tax deadline approaches.\u201d<\/p>\n For most people, April 15 is the last day to submit tax returns or to file an extension and the IRS says it has received more than\u00a0100 million tax returns<\/a>, with tens of millions more expected to be filed.<\/p>\n The IRS says call wait times have been cut down to three minutes this tax season, compared with the average 28 minutes in 2022. That has saved taxpayers 1.4 million hours of hold time and the agency has answered 3 million more calls compared with the same time frame. Also, an updated \u201cWhere\u2019s My Refund\u201d tool giving more specific information about taxpayers\u2019 refunds in plain language was rolled out to 31 million views online.<\/p>\n Werfel told The Associated Press<\/a>\u00a0earlier in the tax season that the agency\u2019s agenda is to deliver \u201cbetter service for all Americans so that we can ease stress, frustration and make the tax filing process easier \u2014 and to increase scrutiny on complex filers where there\u2019s risk of tax evasion.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we do that,\u201d Werfel said, \u201cnot only do we make the tax system work better because it\u2019s easier and more streamlined to meet your tax obligations. But also we collect more money for the U.S. Treasury and lower our deficit. The IRS is a good investment.\u201d<\/p>\n Major new initiatives in recent months have included an aggressive pursuit of high-wealth earners who don\u2019t pay their full tax obligations, such as people who improperly deduct personal flights on corporate jets and those who just don\u2019t file at all.<\/p>\n This also is the first tax season that the IRS has rolled out a program called\u00a0Direct File<\/a>, the government\u2019s free\u00a0electronic tax return filing system<\/a>\u00a0available to taxpayers in 12 states who have simple W-2 forms and claim a standard deduction.<\/p>\n If Direct File is successful and scaled up for the general public\u2019s use, the program could drastically change how Americans file their taxes and how much money they spend completing them. That is, if the agency can see the program through its development in spite of threats to its funding.<\/p>\n The Inflation Reduction Act initially included $80 billion for the IRS.<\/p>\n However, House Republicans have successfully clawed back some of the money. They built a $1.4 billion reduction to the IRS into the debt ceiling and budget cuts package passed by Congress last summer. A separate agreement will take an additional $20 billion from the IRS over the next two years to divert to other nondefense programs.<\/p>\n Government watchdogs warn IRS funding cuts will reduce the amount of revenues the U.S. collects.<\/p>\n